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Living Fossil of Chinese Ancient Music
The highly acclaimed surviving notation (more than 3,600 pieces) constitutes
a large corpus of ancient Chinese melodies written in a rare and ancient
"half-character" notation system, which is closely linked with Tang and Song
notation systems. It provides important evidence in the search for some of the
music lost from the Tang and Song periods.
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A slit
drum |
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Cymbals | About 500 musical
pieces have been handed down since then, which can be divided into four
categories: ancient Buddhist music, Taoist music, court music of the Tang
Dynasty (618-907) and music used for sacrifices and celebrations. The collection
represents some of the most historically significant pieces of music from
China's long history.
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Sheng |
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Yun luo (a kind of
gong) | Jiao Jie, a musical researcher says
the good condition of the manuscripts and clarity with which the original music
was recorded has made preservation possible.
 Performing styles and musical instruments
Xi'an ancient music still completely retains the traditional performing
styles, structures, musical instruments and original names of tunes. It is
characterized by wind and percussion ensembles led by the di zi (bamboo
flute) and guan zi (reed pipe).
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